Valve



W. E. SLOAN' VALVE Filed March 4, 1937 Jan. 27, 1942.

I INVENTOR MLL/HN E 6 fl/V B ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 27, 1942 VALVE William E. Sloan, River Forest, 111., assignor to Sloan Valve Company, Chicago, Ill., acorporation of Illinois Application March 4, 1937, Serial No. 128,931

11 Claims.

The-present invention relates to flush valves, and its object is to provide-a new and improved flush valve containing a throttling device which enables the discharge rate to be throttled more or less according to the supply pressure, whereby a desired discharge rate may be maintained through the flush valve for any pressure within the pressure range for which the valve is designed.

It is a further object of the invention to introduce the necessary provisions to enable the throttling to be accomplished so that the water flows through the valve as quietly as possible, which result is effectively secured by arranging that the maximum velocity attained at the throttling restriction is kept relatively low.

Keeping in mind that throttling devices especially designed to avoidthrottling noises are likely to become clogged and rendered ineffective by foreign matter contained in the water supply, it is an object of the invention to provide a throttling device which is operated by the necessary movement of the flush-valve mechanism between its open and closed positions to permit any lodged particles to become dislodged and washed away by the flow of water.

A feature of the arrangement herein disclosed is that the throttling operation is so carried out that foreign particles of considerable size which may be contained in the water are permitted to pass through the throttling device in two stages, the throttling being accomplished by two separate parts which are opened more fully one at a time in order to allow largerparticles to be washed through the mechanism.

Since the closing time tends to vary inversely with the line pressure, a compensating adjustment is desirable. This adjustment preferably takes the form of an adjustment for stroke which permits the valve to travel further when the pressure is high and the travel is fast, in order to insure that the time the valve is open is substantially constant. It is an object of the invention to provide a single adjusting means which permits adjustment simultaneously for rate-oftravel variation of the piston and for dischargerate variation'to adapt the valve to operate according to the line pressure to which it is subjected, so as to enable about the same quantity to be discharged in about the same time for all pressures within the range for which the flush valve is designed.

A further object is to so arrange the parts concerned that they are not readily taken apart after assembly, whereby the predetermined relation between the two simultaneously controlled adjustment devices cannot be unintentionally altered.

A feature of the disclosed construction is that the throttle piece itself may be renewed without upsetting the fixed relation between the two simultaneous adjustments above mentioned.

It is a further object to provide a renewable lining for the throttling throat which may be sufficiently rigid that it can be handled with little danger of being accidentally deformed by handling, but sufficiently flexible that it may be readily removed and replaced when necessary.

views of a flush valve and parts thereof constructed in accordance with the features of the invention to enable the invention to be understood.

Figure 1 shows a full-scale side View in section of the improved flush valve, the view being taken along theline l'l of Figure 2 in the direction indicated. I

Figure 2 is a full-scale View of the valve of Figure 1 as seen from above along the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a full-scale view of a replaceable lining for the throttling throat of the flush valve; being taken from a point above and to the front of the lining; 1

Figures 4 and 5 are drawings illustrating the preferred method of construction of the lining member of Figure 3, Figure 4 being'half-scale, and Figure 5 double scale.

Figure 6 shows in full-scale a modified replaceable lining;

Figure '7' is a double-scale sectional part of the lining of Figure 6; and

Figure 8 illustrates a desirable modification of the flush valve of Figures '1 and 2, the modification pertaining to the arrangement employed for securing a relatively quiet throttling action.

Referring now particularly'to Figures 1 and 2, showing the flush'valve Vl, it may be mentioned at this point that the throttling action therein is maintained quiet by virtue of the fricview of a tional retardation at the throttling orifice afforded by passing the water between parallel surfaces covered with woven wire mesh or screen, as distinct from the modified flush valve V-2 disclosed in Figure 8, wherein the frictional retardation is accomplished by virtue of the formed or machined configuration of the surface of throat and throttling piece between which the water is forced to pass.

The casing 2 of the flush valve V! has the illustrated hollow cylindrical interior, and is provided with a threaded inlet opening at 3 and with an outlet slip-joint coupling arrangement at 4 to enable it to receive the customary dis charge pipe 5. It will be understood that the discharge 5 leads to a fixture or receptacle to be flushed, such as a water-closet bowl for example. It will be understood further that a supply line is to be connected to the threaded inlet opening 3, and that an individual shut-off valve is preferably installed between the supply line and the flush valve VI.

The casing 2 is provided with a cover 6, removably secured thereto by means of cover screws I, 8, and 9, the illustrated gasket being provided between the casing and the cover thereof to make a water-tight seal. The piston I is provided for reciprocal movement within the cylindrical interior of the casing. This piston has an annular shoulder with a machined seating surface to enable it to seat tightly against the seat gasket 4|, the gasket being preferably of moulded-rubber construction with a metallic stiffening ring imbedded therein.

The cup leather II is provided for the purpose of dividing the interior of the valve casing above the seat gasket 4I into a lower chamber and an upper chamber, and this cup leather is maintained in position by the cup disc I2, in turn held in position by the retaining nut I3.

The piston II) has a central bore I4 therethrough through which bore the regulation to be hereinafter described is carried out. To prevent leakage from the upper chamber of the flush valve to the outlet chamber 29 thereof through the central bore I4, the packing I is extending therethrough, but is covered by woven wire mesh (preferably two layers of eighty-mesh screen), which covering is preferably drawn into a cup shape from fiatwoven material and die formed to fit around the plug and be held firmly when the plug is clamped between the washers [2| and 23.

provided and is retained by the packing nut I6.

The screened by-pass opening I! in the illustrated inserted by-pass disc admits line pressure (incoming through the inlet opening 3) to the upper chamber, above the cup leather II, to maintain the piston I0 pressed tightly against the seat member 4|.

A regulating shaft I8 of a square cross section is provided, which shaft lies partly within and partly without the central bore I4 in the piston IE3. This shaft passes through a square opening in the stroke-regulating piece l9, which regulating piece is threaded into the top part of the central opening I4 to be turned by the regulating shaft I8 to adjust the clearance between the top of the regulating piece and the bottom of regulating tube 3 I, mounted in the cover 6.

The throttle-regulating tube 20 is preferably turned from a piece of extruded tubing having the required outside diameter and having an internal opening of square cross section large enough to freely receive the regulating shaft I8 and be turned by the said regulating shaft. This regulating tube 25 is provided with a left-hand thread to cooperate with a left-hand female thread in the central opening of the piston, whereby the throttle-regulating tube 20 is caused to descend when the regulating shaft I8 is turned in a counter-clockwise direction to cause the stroke-regulating piece I9 to ascend.

Somewhat below the middle thereof, the throttle-regulating tube 20 is provided with an external shoulder against which the washer 2| rests to enable the throttle plug 22 to be clamped between washers 2| and 23 by the retaining nut 25. The throttle-regulating tube 2|] is preferably bored out round from below for a desired distance, and the closing piece 26 of circular cross section is fitted tightly into the bottom end of the tube to close the interior of the tube against the outflow of water from the upper chamber, the outflow from the upper chamber around the outside of the tube 20 being prevented by the packing I5. as previously mentioned.

The throttle piece 22 is preferably of solid construction except for the mounting opening It is to be noted that the cross section of the casing 2 below the seat gasket 4| is somewhat reduced for nearly an inch, below which reduced portion it is widened again, forming a throttling throat with which the throttle piece 22 cooperates in the throttling action of the valve. In order to increase the frictional retardation imposed on the liquid flowing through the throat and between the throttle piece 22 and the walls of the throat, the throat is lined with the lining 34) which is preferably one or two layers of woven-wire mesh cut and fitted to line the throat and soldered in place at the top and bottom. When the water handled by the flush valve is substantially free from sedimentary particles of any substantial size, it is preferred that the lining 30, as in the case of the covering 24, be composed of two layers of woven wire mesh, known commercially as eighty-mesh screen. A non-corrosive wire-screen material having a substantial resistance to wear, such as that known commercially as Monel metal, has been found to be suitable.

In order to enable the flushing action of the valve to be readily controlled, a relief valve 44 is provided in the cover 6, with the push button 43 secured thereto as shown. The upper chamber, lying above and defined by the cup leather II, communicates through the illustrated opening in the cover with the relief-intake chamber 45, which in turn communicates with the relief-discharge chamber 49 under the control of the relief valve 44. This relief valve is fitted for reciprocal 3 movement in the relief-insert piece 45. The relief valve seats against the seat gasket 41 which is held tightly in place between the inner end of insert member 44' and the illustrated annular shoulder formed at the outer extremity of the relief-intake chamber 46.

The relief-discharge chamber 49 communicates through the relief-discharge channel 50 with the relief-outlet chamber 5| in the casing, which chamber 5| opens into the outlet chamber 29 below the seat gasket 4| and below the throttling throat lined with the lining 39. In this Way, water relieved from the upper chamber of the flush valve by the relief valve 44 is directed around the throttling arrangement of the valve and permitted to pass directly through the outlet chamber 29 to the discharge tube 5, whereby back pressure on the relief-discharge chamber 49 is avoided. The illustrated packing around the stem of the relief valve in the mid-portion of the insert member 45 is therefore not subjected to any greater pressure than that built up through the fixture being flushed by way of the discharge pipe 5. The same applies to the sealing gasket lying at the outer end of the threads through which the insert member 45 is secured to the cover 6. Also, since the built-in throttling arrangernent is by-passed, the throttling arrangement cannot retard the opening movement caused by the relief of upper-chamber pressure.

The parts are illustrated as adjusted to operate correctly with a maximum line pressure (the flush valve is designed to operate satisfactorily with any line pressure of about five pounds to one hundred pounds to the square inch). The

the valve is'seated. 'Below this refill'head, the

valve is also designed to give a rate of flow during the flush period ranging between twenty and twenty-five gallons a minute, for which purpose a clearance between the screen covering 24 and the screen lining 38 of the order of fifteen thousandths of an inch is satisfactory. Also, the stroke chosen is so related to the size of the bypass opening I! that the duration of the flushing period is of the order of ten to twelve seconds, which flushing operation is concluded with a refilling operation, during which refilling operation a quantity of water preferably in excess of onehalf a gallon is allowed to flow slowly into the bowl after the fiow of water has been reduced from the flushing rate and before the main valve has finally seated.

With the foregoing facts in mind, it is believed that the operation of the valve at a line pressure of one hundred pounds will be readily appreciated from the following description:

Assuming the line pressure to be one hundred pounds and the parts to be in the position of adjustment shown in the drawing, an actuation of push button 43 results in the relief valve 44. being forced off its seat to the right against the line pressure in the upper chamber and against the force of the illustrated restoring spring, thereby opening a communication between chambers 45 and 49. Water is to be permitted to flow from chamber 48 through the opened relief valve into the interior of the inner end of the reliefinsert piece 45, and thence out through holes such as 48 in the wall thereof to the reliefdischarge chamber 48, whence it flows by way of channel 58, relief-outlet chamber and the main-outlet chamber 29, to the discharge tube 5. The IOU-pound line pressure previously existing in the relief-inlet chamber 46 is thereby reduced toward atmospheric pressure, permitting the pressure in the upper chamber of the main valve above the cup leather H to be reduced by the fiow of water out from the upper chamber through the path above traced. This is accompanied by an inflow of water into the lower chamber of the valve from the inlet 3, raising the piston of the valve quickly to the top of its stroke, which movement is terminated by the contact of the top of the stroke-regulating piece l9 against the end of the regulating tube 3|, mounted in the cover. If the push button is held depressed following this, the piston remains in its uppermost position because the slow trickling flow from the lower chamber to the upper chamber by way of the by-pass opening I1 is insuflicient to refill the upper chamber as long as the relief valve with its much larger opening is held open. Ordinarily, the push button is released and permitted to restore almost immediately,

whereupon the relief valve 44 reseats andagain seals the outlet from the upper chamber.

Following the sealing of the outlet from the upper chamber, the trickling flow of water from the lower chamber tothe upper chamber by way of the by-pass opening [I slowly refills the upper chamber, permitting the pressure in the upper chamber to slowly force the valve back to its illustrated seated position.

It is to be observed that the piston ID has a portion 38 immediately below the annular seating shoulder of the piston which is of substantially the same outside diameter as the inside diameter of the wire-mesh lining 38. This closefitting portion of the piston is commonly known as the refill head, and it extends into the throttling throat about a quarter of an inch when centered, while not materially restricting the flow v of water. It is to be noted particularly that the throttling piece 22 lies entirely below the throttling throat, lined by the lining 38, and that there is a substantial clearance between the bottom of this throat and the top of the throttling piece. It is the provision of this clearance which permits large particles which may be contained in the supply water to pass through the flush valve in a manner which will be made more apparent. The clearance, however, between the bottom of the throttling throat and the top of the throttle piece 22 is substantially less than the amount by which the refill head 38 enters the top of the throttling throat, whereby the throttle piece 22 is drawn substantially into the bottom of the throttle throat in the upward movement of the piston (under a condition of adjustment for extreme high pressure) before the refill head 38 is completely withdrawn. -Therefore, as the piston l8 starts to be lifted, the first result is a small fiow between the'refill' head 38 and the throttle lining 30, which small flow persists, after the throttle piece 24 enters the bottom of the throttling throat, until the refill head 38 emerges from the throttling throat. At this time, the rate of flow may rise to about flushing proportions. However, the upward stroke of the piston is completed so'quickly that the total amount of water which flows as a result of the opening of the main seat of the valve is almost negligible compared to the amount of water passed during a completefiushing operation. Any tendency therefore for the flushing operation to start out at a high rate as th 'refill head 38 is withdrawn from the throttling throat (at which time only the top part of the throttle piece 22 hasentered the throttling throat) may be neglected, and the'fiushing operation may be assumed to start when the piston reaches the top of its stroke. At this time the push button 43 may be released. a

With the piston at the top of its stroke, and with the flush Valve adjusted for maximum stroke and maximum throttling, as illustrated, the screen-covered throttle piece 22 is now drawn entirely up within thethroat lining 38, the'bottom of the throttle piece being a substantial fraction of an inch above the bottom'of the lining. Under this condition, the flushing water flows at a moderate rate, which rate is substantially less than the rate at which it will flow after the piston has partially descended. vThis rising characteristic of the flush valve, in starting the flush at a relatively low-discharge rate which is later increased, is highly desirable, as it makes for quiet bowl operation, in that the air trapped in the rim chamber of the toilet bowl is not so suddenly and forcefully expelled as it is in the case of a flush valve having a falling or a fiat discharge-ratecharacteristic.

With the refill head now clear of the throat,

relatively large particles which may be contained in the fiowingwater may enter the throat and descend. The particles pass through immediately if they are sufficiently small: otherwise they are stopped temporarily by throttle memfber. However, when the valve has nearly returned toseating position, and throttle member emerge from the bottom of the throat 30.

22 has emerged below the throat, these lodged particles are free to pass and be washed away through the discharge tube.

As the upper chamber slowly fills, and the piston I slowly descends, the throttle piece 22 is lowered until the bottom thereof begins to At this time, the rate of flow begins to increase because the length of the restriction begins to be reduced. This increase in the rate of flow continues progressively until the maximum rate of flow is reached when the top of the screen-covered throttle piece 22 nears th bottom of the lined throat. By this time, the refill head 38 has already entered the confines of the annular seating gasket 4| (without affording any material additional restriction to the flow), and has begun to approach the throttling throat itself. As the tapered refill head starts to enter the throttling throat defined by the friction-possessing lining 30 thereof, the rate of flow is shortly reduced (by virtue of the additional and greater throttling caused by the refill head 38) below the rate necessary to maintain syphon action in the associated toilet bowl (not shown). The water which flows through the flush valve at this greatly reduced rate until the seating shoulder of the piston effectively engages the seat gasket 4| is used to refill and reseal the toilet bowl, as previously mentioned. The cycle of operation is ended and the refill flow is terminated when the annular seating shoulder of the piston l0 finally seats on the gasket 4 It has been found that the greatly increased discharge rate immediately preceding the end of the flush proper and the beginning of the refill is of greatbenefit in insuring that all of the contents of the bowl are carried out, such as floating toilet paper, and the like.

It is manifest that a shorter stroke suffices when the valve is to be used for substantially lower pressures than maximum, as there is then less pressure available to force a flow to take place through the by-pass opening I! to refill the upper chamber; it is necessary then to shorten the stroke if the flushing time is to be the same at some lower pressure as it is at the maximum pressure. Also, in order to secure a rate of flow at the lower pressure equal to that obtaining at the higher pressure it is necessary to reduce the frictional retardation, in order to secure the same discharge rate through the same discharge area. This is done by lowering the throttling piece 22 to secure-a reduced entry of the throttling piece into the throttling throat.

The adjustment for maximum stroke and maximum throttling has been found to be satisfactory at about on hundred pounds pressure, and to be satisfactory without change for any pressure down to about eighty pounds to the square inch. For pressures below about eighty pounds, the adjustment is changed to decrease the stroke by raising the stroke-regulating piece I9, and to decrease the throttling effect by lowering the throttle-regulating tube 20. This may be accomplished by removing the safety cap 31 and turning the non-rising regulating plug 32 in a counter-clockwise direction, a slot for a screw driver or a similar tool being provided in the top of plug 32 as illustrated. Since the plug 32 is soldered, brazed or otherwise tightly fitted into the regulating tube 3|, a turning of the plug 32 results in a turning of the tube 3|. The internal square shape of the tube 3| causes a turning thereof to result in a turning of the regulating shaft I8. When the shaft I8 is turned in a counter-clockwise direction, the stroke-regulating piece I9 is turned likewise and is thereby caused to rise with respect to the piston I0 and parts thereof because the plug I9 is threaded into thev piston by a right-hand thread. The stem 39 is riveted into the retaining nut I3 and upstands into the vertical chamber 40 in the cover 6, whereby the entire piston assembly is held against rotation, it being kept in mind that the retaining nut I3 is drawn up very tightly to seal the cup leather II and to prevent a turning of th retaining nut I3 with respect to the piston as adjustments are being made. It may be found however that the friction between the annular seating shoulder of the piston and the seat gasket 4| is sufficient to prevent turning of the piston assembly during adjustment, particularly since the valve is held fairly tightly against its seat by the line pressure, in which case chamber 4|] and guide stem 39 may be omitted.

As the regulating shaft I8 is turned in a counterclockwise direction to cause the regulating plug I9 to rise and thereby shorten the permitted stroke by causing it to engage the bottom of regulating tube 3| before the piston has been permitted to rise so high, the throttle-regulating sleeve 20 is lowered because it is provided with a left-hand thread in the piston 20. The throttle piece 22 is thereby lowered simultaneously with the raising of the stroke-regulating piece I9. By the method of trial and error it was established that the rate of travel of the throttleregulating piece 22 should be greater than the rate oftravel of the stroke-regulating piece I9 during adjustment by about the ratio given when the right-hand thread of the piece I9 has twenty-four threads to the inch, while the left-hand thread of the piece 20 has about eighteen threads to the inch. Many factors, of course, are included in pitch-ratio determinations, and changes in dimensions of any one of several parts of the valve may call for a correspondingly changed pitch ratio.

As the adjustment is made for successively lower pressures, the lowering of the throttling piece progresses until the throttling piece does not start to enter the screen-lined throat until after the refill head 38 has been withdrawn from the top of the throat. This condition does not obtain until the flush valve has been adjusted for reduced pressure down to about twenty pounds, and the tendency for water to rush through relatively unthrottled for the moment when neither the throttling piece 22 nor the refill head 28 is within the throttling throat, is found to be small.

When the adjustment for lower pressure is carried out until the limit is reached, the throttling piece 22 is lowered to such an extent that it does not enter the throttling throat at all, and does not therefore have any noticeable throttling effect at any point in the flushing cycle. The amount of lowering necessary to secure this result is reduced sharply by virtue of the fact that the stroke is progressively reduced as above pointed out as the adjustment is made for lower pressure, whereby the upward travel of the piston is very much less at the adjustment for a low pressure than it is at the adjustment for a high pressure.

. In order to explain the previously mentioned novel feature of the structure whereby it cannot be inadvertently taken apart to destroy the relationship between the two simultaneous adjustments, the wayin which the parts are assembled and finally secured together to obtain this result will now be pointed out: 1

It is to be noted that the central bore III, extending entirely through the piston I9, is of minimum diameter at a point just below the packing member I5. The bore is enlarged somewhat immediately above this, and the female left-hand threads for the throttle-regulating sleeve 20 are cut in the piston at this somewhat increased bore diameter. Also, the throttle-regulating tube 20 has ashoulder thereon just below where the threads end. The engagement of this shoulder of the sleeve 20 with the internal annular shoulder at the bottom of the female lefthand threads in the piston I limits the downward movement of the regulating sleeve 20. Therefore, as adjustment is being made for successively lower pressures, the ability of the regulating shaft I8 to be turned in a counter-clockwise direction is terminated when the above mentioned shoulder on piece engages the specified shoulder in the piston III. In the other direction, the regulating shaft I8 cannot be turned further in a clockwise direction than to bring the parts in the position shown in the drawing, because at that time either the bottom of the stroke-regulating piece I9 engages internal annular shoulder 21 in the central bore I4 of the piston or washer 2I engages the bottom of the piston, or both engage.

With these two limiting stops above described, the adjustment is confined between two limits and the parts cannot be turned sufliciently to cause any of them to disengage. The parts can be removed fromv the piston only in the event that the regulating shaft I8 is first removed in order to allow parts I9 and 29 to be rotated relative to one another, and inadvertent removal of this shaft I8 is prevented by the pin 28 which passes through the piece I9 and the shaft I8 to hold the shaft against unauthorized removal.

In assembling the parts, the piece 29 is first dropped into the bore I4 from above and is then turned down a suificient way in the threads in order to permit the throttle piece 22 and the associated washers 2| and 23 to be assembled in place and drawn up tightly by the retaining nut 25 against the shoulder on the sleeve 20. Then, the piece 29 with the throttle assembled thereon may be turned back until the washer 2I engages the bottom of the piston, thus setting the throttling apparatus for maximum throttling. Then, the stroke-regulating piece I9 is threaded into position until it strikes the shoulder 21, thus setting the stroke-regulating piece for the maximum stroke, required at maximum pressure. Finally, the square openings in the pieces I9 and 29 are lined up, if necessary, by slightly turning one of the parts, and the regulating shaft I8 is introduced and secured in position by the pin 28. The ends of the pin are preferably riveted or flattened. The assembly is thus locked with the parts in the predetermined relationship against unauthorized tampering with the adjustment relationship.

In the event that it becomes necessary to inspect the piston and throttle assembly after the valve VI is installed, the previously mentioned individual shut-off valve preceding the supply opening 3 may be closed, following which the removal of the screws I, 8, and 9 permits the cover 6- to be removed. The piston assembly may be then withdrawn by grasping the regulating stem I8. If it is found to be desirable to replace the screen-covered throttling member 22, this may be done by removing retaining nut 25 and washer 23 to permit the throttle member 22 to be removed and replaced by a new one.

Also, the Washer 2I may be removed along with the throttle piece 22 and the washer 23 in the event that it is necessary or desirable to tighten the packing I5, by turning the packing nut I6 further in, such turning of the packing nut I6 being accomplished by a spanner wrench or similar tool.

When the new piece 22 is placed on the assembly and secured between washers 2| and 23 by the retaining nut 25, the piston assembly may be replaced and adjusted if necessary in the previously described manner to set it for the pressure conditions obtaining. It is to be noted that the repair person may not unintentionally destroy'the predetermined relationship between the adjusting pieces I9 and 20 by any ordinary action such as turning the adjusting shaft I8 while the piston assembly is removed from the valve casing, for the pin 28 effectively prevents removal of the shaft I8 against any but a determined, intentional eifort.

The illustrated and described arrangement of simultaneous adjustment by means of the two pieces I9 and 20, both secured in the same assembly against removal, has an obvious advantage over an alternative arrangement wherein Vertica'l adjustment of the piece I9 may be omitted in favor of vertical adjustment of the regulating sleeve 3| in the cover. It will be appreciated, of course, that this sleeve could be threaded for vertical travel in the cover .and thereby regulate the stroke simultaneously with the turning of the shaft I8 to regulate the amount of throttling. The predetermined relation however between the throttle and the stroke adjusting arrangements might be accidentally destroyed at any time that the cover 6 is removed and replaced, as one or the other of the parts might be turned alone under those conditions. Also, there is a great advantage over two separate controls (one for discharge rate, and the other for flush time) as great difficulty may be experienced in coordinating two separate adjustment devices.

In the event that it is found desirable to be able to replace the throat lining 39, this lining may be provided as illustrated in Figures 3 to 5,

Referring now particularly to Figures 3 to 5,

the lining member 6| is formed so as to present two layers of woven-wire mesh as in the case of the lining 30. This lining however is provided in .the formof a split cylinder to facilitate removal of the old lining as well as to facilitate the placing of the new lining in position. The curvature imparted to the lining cylinder 6i is preferably slightly larger than the inside diameter of. the throat into which it is to be inserted, whereby'it is compressed slightly upon being inserted into the throat soas to cause it to lie snugly inplace. The vertical gap may in practice be slightly larger than the gap illustrated until the lining is placed into position, whereupon the gap becomes very small because the curvature is decreased upon the lining being forced into the throttling throat.

The lining cylinder BI is preferably formed,

in successive stages from a blank 62, Figured,

out i from woven-wire mesh in the illustrated shape, the blank being so cut that the wires extend directly lengthwise of and directly crosswise Y of the blank, instead of being out on a bias.

This b'lank is provided with the flaps 66 and 61. As the first step in forming the lining cylinder 6| from the blank 62, the bottom part. of the blank may be folded over the top part along the indicated fold line (-35 giving a double thickness. Next, the fiaps- 66 and 61 are folded forward along the fold lines 63 and E4 to stiffen the end edges and to cover all cut edges except those at the top. When the blank thus folded is pressed down flat, there are two thicknesses of screen everywhere except where the flaps E 6 and 61 overlie the turned up bottom part of the blank, at which points there are three thicknesses of material. The folded blank may then be curved into a cylindrical form in a suitable forming die, with the flaps 66 and 61 outside, and with the unfolded edges at the top. Following this, the unfolded top edge may be rolled as at 63 in Figure 5. Following the rolling of the top edge to form a rolled rim, this rolled rim is die stamped into a rectangular configuration to give the lining insert the appearance illustrated in Figure 3. This insert member has a fair amount of rigidity and is fairly satisfactory provided the rim 68 ,thereof has enough material rolled into it before it is stamped into shape that it has sufficient strength to avoid being drawn down through the throat by the force of water at high pressure.

Referring now particularly to Figures 6 and 7, the insert lining "II is generally similar to the insert lining 6|, but it has included therein a stiffening insert member 12, formed of solid sheet material. Also, the woven-wire blank is so cut as to prevent overlapping of the flaps thereof when it is folded into position. It is to be observed that the blank from which the screen part of this lining member is composed has the flaps l3 and 14 which extend around the outside of the completed lining member and the flaps l5 and 16 at the ends thereof, but a sufiicient corner is cut from each of the flaps 13 to 16 to prevent;

overlapping of the flaps and thereby avoidhaving more thicknesses of, material at one part of the lining than obtains throughout the lining as a whole. modification of Figure 6 none of the edges is raw and it is unnecessary to double the rim back, as is in the modification of Figures 3 to 5, to prevent raw edges at the rim.

In the modification of Figures 6 and 7, the flaps of the fiat woven Wire blank are first folded over the fiat insert sheet member 12, following which the fiat composite piece so obtained is given a cylindrical form, and the annular rim 1'! is turned over by a simple forming operation. It will be understood, of course, that the flaps T3 to 15 all lie flat against the stiffening insert 12, but one corner of the flap 14 has been showntur'ned back in Figure 6 to expose the stiffening insert seat member 12. 7

If desired, the corners of flaps 13 to 16 may be soldered to stiffening piece 12, as the solder will not penetrate to the inner surface of the lining as is likely in the modification of Figures 3 to 5.

Although the lining of Figures 6 and 7 has been illustrated as offering but one layer of screen material inside of the solid-sheet insert member 12, when two layers of screen material are desired it sufiices merely to employ two blanks cut from woven wire screen and laid one on 10p of the other to give the double thickness friction material as in Figure 1.

inside the stiffening member 12. It goes without saying that the actual throat in the casing 2 mayneed to be machined out slightly larger or not, depending on which of the above described modified'linings .is used, so that the required amount of clearance is obtained to pass the water at the desired discharge rate.

QAS previously mentioned, Figure 8 shows a modified, valve V2 wherein the velocity-retard- .ing wall characteristic necessary to eflicient silent-throttling action is obtained by virtue of a machining of the metal surfaces between which the water passes in the throttling operation, rather than by applying a lining or covering of The general construction of the valve V-2 is the same as that of the valve V-l, and the throttle-member and refillhead clearances are substantially the same inthe two valves. The throttlingthroat is illustrated as being provided with a female threadthroughout its entire length. Experiment has shown that this thread gives best results whenthere are about fifty to seventy threads to theinch, and these threads are preferably cut so asto'have a ninety-degree outline angle instead of at the more usual sixty-degree outline angle. Similar threads are provided on the throttle piece 22, as well as on the vertical wall of the refill head 38. It is somewhat preferable that the female threads on the throat portion of the valve be left-hand threads as illustrated, if

In' addition to the threads above pointed out, the tapered part of the refill head 38 is preferably provided with annular grooves similar to those obtained byv threading in order to provide a quieter diminution from full flushing discharge to'the commencement of the refill flow.

,It will be understood, of course, that the grooves andridges formed on the throttle pieces Also, by the use of four flaps in the 38' and 22' and on the lining portionof the throat may be formed as separate annular groovesinstead of as continuous threads, and thatthey may be formed by scoring or any other similar operations. The thing which seems to be most essential is that the surface be made as rough as practicable with respect to the direction in which the water is moving.

The observed operating characteristics of the valve V2 are similar to the described ones of the valve V l.- I

What I, claim is:

1. In combination, a metering flush valve disposed between ,a supply line and a discharge line andincluding a valve member reciprocable between closed position and open position, means for moving said valve to open position and for causing it to be driven slowly toward closed position by the pressure of the fluid being handled by'the flush valve, whereby the flush valve tends to 'closemore quickly when the pressure is high, a throttling device interposed in the path of the flushing. fluid to control the discharge rate,

means ,for adjusting said throttling device to change the amount of throttling, means for adjuslting the length of time required for said flush yalvjto cl'oseafter it has beenopened so as to compensate for pressure variations, and a single adjustment device efiective to regulate both of said adjustment means simultaneously.

2. In a metering flush valve including also a throttling device for controlling the rate of discharge, said flush valve being of the type which tends to close faster when the pressure is higher, a device for adjusting the time required for an operation of the flush valve, another device for adjusting the amount of throttling, and a, single adjustment-control device efiective to simultaneously actuate both of said adjustment devices.

3. In a combined throttle and metering flush valve, means for adjusting the stroke of the flush valve, means for adjusting the efiective amount of throttling, and a device for simultaneously driving both of said means to make an adjustment of each in the right direction to compensate for a variation of the supply pressure from a fixed standard.

4. In combination, a metering flush valve including a valve member reciprocable between a closed position and an open position, a throttle member carried by the valve memebr, means comprising a stroke member threaded into the valve member for movement longitudinally thereof for adjusting the travel distance of the valve member to compensate for varying pressure conditions under which the flush valve is to operate, means including a member threaded into the reciprocable valve member for adjustment longitudinally thereof for adjusting the throttle device carried by the reciprocable member in order to maintain the discharge rate within desired limits in the face of variations in supply pressure, and means for insuring that the two adjustment devices be turned together and that the adjustments efiected by turning thereof are such that both are set for substantially the same supply pressure.

5. In a throttling flush valve having a moving assembly consisting of a seating valve member for controlling the elapsed time of a flush and a throttle member for controlling the rate of discharge, a stroke-regulating device threaded for movement in the travelling assembly, a throttle-regulating device threaded for movement in the travelling assembly, and means for simultaneously moving the stroke-regulating device in one direction and the throttling-regulating device in the opposite direction to make coordinated adjustments for an encountered pressure condition. I

6. In a flush valve comprising a casing con taining a moving assembly for controlling the duration of a flush and for controlling the rate of discharge obtaining during the flushing operation, the characteristics of the flush valve being such that the duration of the flush tends to decrease with increased supply pressure, while the rate of discharge tends to increase, two interlinked adjustment devices for effecting adjustment to secure a desired length of flush and a desired related rate of discharge for any pressure within substantial limits, said adjustment devices being regulatable from outside the casing when the flush valve is in operation, and means for insuring that the coordination between the two adjustments may not be inadvertently disturbed when the travelling assembly of the flush valve is removed from the casing for inspection or repair.

7. In combination, a flush valve comprising a casing containing a valve movable therein with respect to a seat to permit the discharge of water at a relatively high rate to flush a toilet bowl followed by the discharge of additional water at a lesser rate to refill or reseal the toilet bowl, a throttling device interposed in the path of the flushing water to limit the said relatively high rate of flow throughout the entire delivery thereof, and means directly responsive to the move ment of the flush valve during a flushing operation for bringing the throttling device to a relatively non-throttling (more widely open) position while the water is being discharged at the refill rate in order to permit relatively large pieces of foreign matter to be washed through the throttling device-in the event that they have become lodged therein,

3. In a throttling arrangement, a casing having a throat of relatively restricted cross-sectional area, lying between two sections of greater cross sectional area, a control member mounted in said casing for reciprocal movement longitudinally of said throat, a pair of throttle members carried by said control member and so disposed thereon as to be brought each into and withdrawn from said throat, said throttle members being spaced apart from one another by sufficient space to enable relatively large pieces of foreign material which may be contained in the throttled fluid to enter the throat between the throttle'pieces when one of them is withdrawn but the other is within the throat, and means for r for moving the control member and the throttle the throat in order to avoid bringing the device into a non-throttling position.

9. In a throttling device including a casing and a member mounted for reciprocal movement therein, said casing and said reciprocal member being of such relative diameters as to provide two spaced throttling restrictions, the throttling effect of which can be changed as the reciprocal member is moved from one extreme to the other, one restriction being increased as the other is decreased, the relationship of the parts concerned being such that both restrictions are effective simultaneously at one position, while at another position only one restriction is effective, and the other restriction is effective alone at still another position, and means for varying the average throttling effect obtained during a movement from one extreme to the other by varying the distance between the positions in which only one restriction is effective.

10. A replaceable lining for the throat of a throttle casing composed of an incomplete sleeve or tube formed from a blank cut from woven wire material and folded so as to conceal the cut edges of the woven wire material from the inside and ends of the lining member.

11. A replacement lining member for the throat of a throttle device composed of a split sleeve with a rim formed at one end thereof, said sleeve being composed of woven wire material folded over a stiffening sheet.

WILLIAM E. SLOAN. 

